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Industrial & Manufacturing Blog
Not all bolts are made the same and they are not necessarily interchangeable. You need to know what type of tension will be placed on the bolt before you pick the right one to use in any application. A weak bolt can break and cause damage to equipment and people. Here is a brief guide on bolt grades and what they mean.
Grade 2
Grade 2 fasteners are the softest and cheapest bolts made. They are typically made out of low or medium carbon steel. The larger the size of the bolt the weaker they become. These bolts cannot withstand a lot of pressure and can easily break, and they should only be used in light applications like bolting together industrial work carts for moving tools and supplies around a machine shop.
You can tell if you're using a grade 2 bolt by the looking at the top of the head of the bolt. Grade 2 bolts don't have any markings on the head.
Grade 5
Grade 5 bolts are usually made out of medium carbon steel that goes through a quenching and tempering (Q&T) process. The Q&T process involves heating the steel for the bolt twice: once to super heat the metal and then cooling it quickly, and then heating it again at a lower temperature to make the steel tough and malleable so it can be formed into a bolt.
Grade 5 bolts are commonly used when you need more strength and toughness than a grade 2 bolt. You'll find grade 5 bolts used a lot in the automotive manufacturing industry.
You can tell a grade 5 bolt by the radial markings on the head of the bolt. There will be three straight lines evenly spaced around the top of the head.
Grade 8
Grade 8 bolts are made from a carbon steel alloy and are the hardest bolt of the three grades. Iron is added to the steel to strengthen the bolt. Grade 8 bolts are also quenched and tempered to further increase its strength and versatility. These bolts are used to hold machine parts together where there is a lot of vibration and pressure that will cause a lower grade bolt to snap.
You can tell a grade 8 bolt by the six lines evenly spaced around the head of the bolt.
Nuts
You should make sure that the nuts you are going to use to tighten the bolts are the same as the grade of the bolt you are using – this is especially true with higher grade bolts. Grade 2 nuts on grade 8 bolts can break under the pressure a grade 8 bolt is designed to withstand since it isn't made to the same strength specifications. Only use grade 8 nuts on grade 8 bolts. You can use grade 8 and 5 nuts on grade 5 bolts, but not a grade 2 nut. You can use grade 8, 5, and 2 on a grade 2 bolt.
Share4 February 2016
